Download - 100 years of the Leica camera
100 years of the Leica camera
In 1914 optical engineer Oskar Barnack was working for Ernst Leitz when he designed the very first Leica, the Leitz Camera, or so-called Ur-Leica. The small handheld camera, one of the first to use 35mm film, finally went into production in 1925 following a long delay caused by World War One. It went on to revolutionise photography in the hands of the first photojournalists who set out to record the world on the brink of change.
100 years of Leica, 100 years of history:
The Hindenburg conquers the skies, the Russians conquer Berlin, and James Dean conquers the hearts of women. Always on the spot at such decisive moments were photographers who had an eye for the visual impact of the scene – and a Leica in their hands.
LZ 129 “Hindenburg” at its mooring mast at Rhine-Main airport, Dr. Paul Wolff and Alfred Tritschler, 1936
1953. “The Painter of the Eiffel Tower”, Paris. Marc Riboud / Magnum Photos
New York, Ernst Leitz II, 1914
Flood in Wetzlar, Oskar Barnack, 1920
Self-portrait in mirrors, Ilse Bing, 1931
Oskar Barnack at his workplace, Julius Huisgen, 1934
Sunday on the banks of the river Marne. 1938. Photograph: Henri Cartier-Bresson/Magnum Photos
Death of a Loyalist Soldier , Robert Capa, 1936
Harlem race riots, New York, 1964.Photograph: Neil Libbert
Normandy, 6 June 1944. Photograph: Robert Capa/Magnum Photos
South Vietnamese forces follow terrified children, including nine-year-old Kim Phuc, centre, as they run down Route1 near Trang Bang after an aerial napalm attack on suspected Viet Cong hiding places on 8 June 1972. Photograph: Nick Ut/Associated Press
Hyeres, 1932. Photograph: Henri Cartier-Bresson / Magnum Photos
2000. New York City. From his phototoons series.Elliott Erwitt
Portugal, 1976. Photograph: Josef Koudelka/Magnum Photos
Children in the gorbals, Glasgow, 1948. Photograph: Ben Hardy/Hulton/Getty
Overcrowded housing in London’s Elephant and Castle in 1948. Hardy modified his Leica so it would perform better in low light conditions. Photograph: Ben Hardy/Hulton/Getty
Sailor kissing the nurse’, New York, 14 August 1945. Photograph: Alfred Eisenstaedt/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty
42nd Street, New York City, 1960. A long-time Observer photographer, Neil Libbert used a Leica M3 camera with a 35m Summicron lens. Photograph: Neil Libbert
Caravan park in Kerry, 2013. Photograph: John Naughton
Russian soldiers flying the Red Flag, made from table cloths, over the ruins of the Reichstag in Berlin, 1945. Photograph: Yevgeny Khaldei/Getty Images
Girl with Leica, Alexander Rodchenko, 1934
London, Inge Morath, 1953
Guardia Civil, W. Eugene Smith, 1950
Self-portrait, UMBO (aka Otto Umbehr), 1952
New York, Louis Stettner, 1954
James Dean on Times Square, Dennis Stock, 1955
Regular guest at the Café Hawelka, Vienna, Franz Hubmann, 1956–57
The dwarf , Bruce Davidson, 1958
The stolen sword, Robert Lebeck, 1960
Che Guevara, Alberto Korda, 1960
Wild horses in Kenya, Professor Ulrich Mack, 1964
1966. Chicago, IL. Muhammad Ali, boxing world heavy weight champion showing off his right fist. Thomas Hoepker-Magnum
Man with bandage, Fred Herzog, 1968
New York City, Elliott Erwitt, 1974
San Cristobál, René Burri, 1976
Swimming pool designed by Alain Capeilières, Martine Franck, 1976
Waterloo (from the “Roots” cycle), Harry Gruyaert, 1981
England , Gianni Berengo Gardin, 1977
From the “Feine Leute” cycle , Herlinde Koelbl, 1985
Under a grudging sun , Alex Webb, 1986–1988
Perfect peace , Kai Wiedenhöfer, 1994
Sidewalk , Jeff Mermelstein, 1995
1998. JAPAN. Asakasa. George Abe, right, an ex-Yakuza member and celebrity writer. Yakuza model themselves on American gangster fashion from 1950s. Bruce Gilden/ Magnum Photos
Hollywood Beach (from the “American Colors” cycle) , Constantine Manos, 2006
Vertigo (from the “Silenzio!” cycle), François Fontaine, 2012 (Courtesy A. Galerie, Paris)
1932. Paris, France. Place de l'Europe. Gare Saint Lazare. Henri Cartier-Bresson
Ulan Bator, Mongolia, 2012 Jacob Aue Sobol, Magnum
1960. Sao Paulo, Brazil. Rene Burri
American soldiers dash for a helicopter at Khe Sanh in 1968 in a picture taken by David Douglas Duncan on the record-breaking Leica
Parade Hoboken, New Jersey 1955, Robert Frank
Untitled, 1963, Larry Clark
Spain, Andalucia. Seville. 1933. Henri Cartier-Bresson
Greater Burhan Oil Field, Kuwait, 1991, Sebastiao Salgado/Amazonas Images/nbpictures
Santa Monica, California. 1955. Elliott Erwitt Magnum Photos
1976. Marlon Brando fascinated by a dragonfly, Apocalypse Now, Pagsanjan, Philippines. Mary Ellen Mark
Main street of Corleone, Sicily, 1959. Sergio Larraín
end
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1914....The Big Bang, Oskar Barnack invents the Ur-Leica